Smorgasbord Blog Magazine – The Breakfast Show with William Price King and Sally Cronin – Chart Hits 1988 Part One – George Michael, Bobby McFerrin, Guns n’ Roses, Belinda Carlisle

Welcome to our show and we are excited to share decades of music with you in 2022.

Here is my first  selection of top 1988 hits which I hope you will enjoy.

George Michael – Faith

“Faith,” composed by George Michael, is from his 1987 debut album. It held the #1 position on the Billboard Hot 100 chart for four weeks and was the #1 single of the year in the US in 1988. The song also reached #1 in Australia and Canada, #2 on the UK Singles Chart, and was a world wide hit. In 2001, it ranked at #322 on the Songs of the Century list.

January 20th Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees: The Beach Boys; The Beatles; The Drifters; Bob Dylan; The Supremes; Woody Guthrie; Leadbelly; Les Paul; and Berry Gordy, Jr.

Bobby McFerrin – Don’t worry be happy –

“Don’t worry, be happy,” released in conjunction with the film “Cocktail,” was the first a cappella song to reach #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, a position it held for two weeks. The song also peaked at #11 on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Tracks chart and #7 on the Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks chart. It was also a hit in the United Kingdom, reaching #2 on the UK Singles Chart. The song is ranked #31 on VH1’s 100 Greatest One Hit Wonders of the ‘80s and also appears on Rolling Stone’s list of the 15 Best Whistling Songs of All Time. At the 1989 Grammy Awards, “Don’t Worry, Be Happy” won the awards for “Song of the Year,” “Record of the Year,” and “Best Male Pop Vocal Performance.”

March 2nd 30th Grammy Awards: Record of the year – Paul Simon “Graceland”; Album of the Year – U2 “The Joshua Tree”; Jody Watley Best New Artist

Here are my first picks from 1988.

Guns n’ Roses – Sweet Child of Mine

“Sweet Child o’ Mine” is a song by American rock band Guns N’ Roses. It appeared on their debut album Appetite for Destruction. The song was released in June 1988 as the album’s third single, and topped the Billboard Hot 100 chart, becoming the band’s only number 1 US single. Re-released in 1989, it reached number 6 on the UK Singles Chart. Guns N’ Roses

April 28th Benny Andersson, Björn Ulvaeus, and Tim Rice’s musical “Chess” opens at Imperial Theater NYC for 68 performances

Belinda Carlisle Heaven is a Place on Earth

“Heaven Is a Place on Earth” is a song by American singer Belinda Carlisle from her second studio album, Heaven on Earth (1987). Written by Rick Nowels and Ellen Shipley, the song was released as the lead single from the Heaven on Earth album on September 14, 1987, and it reached number one on the US Billboard Hot 100 on December 5, 1987, becoming Carlisle’s only US chart-topper to date. A month later it peaked at number one in the United Kingdom, where it held the top spot of the UK Singles Chart for two weeks.Belinda Carlisle  

April 30th 33rd Eurovision Song Contest: Celine Dion for Switzerland wins singing “Ne partez pas sans moi” in Dublin

Additional sources: On This Day – Music – Hits of the 80s: Playback FM – Wikipedia

Your Hosts for The Breakfast Show

William Price King is an American jazz singer, crooner, and composer.

His interest in music began at an early age when he studied piano and clarinet in high school. At Morehouse College in Atlanta where he grew up, he sang in the Glee Club and studied classical music. After graduation he went off to the Yale School of Music where he earned a Masters degree. From there he journeyed to New York where he created a jazz trio ‘Au Naturel’ which performed in some of the hottest venues in Manhattan including gigs on Broadway and the famous ‘Rainbow Room.’ These gigs opened doors for performances in Montreal and a European tour.

While touring Europe he met a lovely French lady, Jeanne Maïstre, who, a year later became his wife. King left the group ‘Au Naturel’ and settled in the south of France where he started a new life on the French Riviera, opening his own music school – the “Price King Ecole Internationale de Chant.” He has had the pleasure over the years of seeing many of his students excel as singers on a professional level, and some going on to become national celebrities. He continues to coach young singers today, in his spare time.

Blog– IMPROVISATION – William Price King on Tumblr – Buy William’s music: William Price King iTunes – Facebook – William Price King – Twitter – @wpkofficial
Regular Venue – Cave Wilson

Sally Cronin is an author, blogger and broadcaster who enjoyed four years as part of the team on Onda Cero International’s English speaking morning show in Marbella and then for two years as a presenter on Expressfm the local radio station in Portsmouth. She co-presented two ‘Drive Time’ shows a week with Adrian Knight, hosted the live Thursday Afternoon Show and The Sunday Morning Show guests including musicians and authors. Following this she became Station Director for a local internet television station for two years, producing and presenting the daily news segment, outside broadcasts and co-presenting the Adrian and Sally chat show live on Friday evenings.

She and her husband David have now returned to Ireland where they live on the Wexford Coast where she blogs and continues to write books.

Books :Amazon US – And: Amazon UK – More reviews: Goodreads – blog: Smorgasbord Blog Magazine Twitter: @sgc58 – Facebook: Sally Cronin – LinkedIn: Sally Cronin

Next week 1988 Part Two We hope you will tune in.. as always we love to hear from you.. thanks William and Sally.